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Sutro Tower Tattoos

Jeff McC was at Zeitgeist for the Tamale Lady's birthday when he peeped some Sutro Tower ink. I'm pretty sure this is the most definitive proof that a person, at one time or another, lived in The City. Yeah, I guess you could get a tattoo of the Golden Gate Bridge to prove you lived in the East Bay (??), but that's some tourist shit. Your tattoo is only cool if people east of Antioch have to ask you what it means.

Seems like Sutro tats are not all that rare. Elly has a pretty epic one of her back:

When I was getting mine done, the guy at the shop showed me some pictures of matching sutro tower tattoos that a couple had done. I wish I knew the name of the book the pictures were in - the tattoos were totally amazing, they’d turned the tower into a sort of aboriginal looking tribal symbol. Like cave paintings of Sutro Tower. After I saw that I kind of felt like mine was stupid. haha. At that point those were the only other Sutro tattoos I’d seen. That first one is totally awesome.

People are always like “why didn’t you get coit tower??” which I do not understand at all.

Wouldn’t you get a tattoo of the Bay Bridge to show you live in the East Bay??? And if you were really from The City, you would not need to prove that you are a local by getting a tattoo of a local landmark or by wearing t-shirt that implies such. Get a life.

Ha, that’s my arm. My buddy just sent me this picture today, I hadn’t seen it before. I’m born and raised in SF and got that tattoo in 2003. I can’t tell you so you’ll just have to believe me, you have no idea… ;)

Yes, that’s a bison from the paddock in GGP in front of it. The entire tat is about ⅓ done but I was sure to make Sutro Tower the most prominent feature.

And to you idiots that just don’t understand tattoos, perhaps keep yer traps shut. Most people get them to mark important times or places in their lives. Sort of historical signposts. I didn’t get Sutro Tower on my arm to ‘prove’ that I live here. That’s just an asinine thing to say. Even if I moved away tomorrow, I’d still have the tat to remind me what a sweet time I had in this great city.

I love this city and it loves me, and this is how I chose to thank it.